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150 Volunteers Gather To Spruce Up Boone Elementary To Honor MLK Day Spirit

By Linze Rice | January 18, 2016 8:22am
 A group of about 150 volunteers from Boone Elementary, the community and Target pitched in to help improve the school through Chicago Cares on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
A group of about 150 volunteers from Boone Elementary, the community and Target pitched in to help improve the school through Chicago Cares on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
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Provided/Chicago Cares

WEST RIDGE — On Saturday, a group of about 150 volunteers pitched in to help improve Boon Elementary, including applying fresh coats of paint and hanging new curtains, all in the sprit of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Principal Jaclyn Delaney called the afternoon a "powerful" lesson to both students and adults about the importance of helping others.

"The kids have started to see the value and benefit of volunteering," Delaney said. "It was powerful to see adults who don't even know them helping out. ... They've been part of making this environment a beautiful space, so they take that much more pride in being in a comfortable and safe environment, because that's the number one thing they need to learn."

Throughout the day, about 70 volunteers from Target joined with over 80 students, parents, staff and community members to create inspirational art that will hang around the school, paint classrooms, sand tables, hang curtains on classroom doors, clean and more.

The service event was the sixth at the school organized by Chicago Cares, which also set similar service projects in motion at 19 other sites that day.

Chicago Cares said in a statement they set the project for MLK Day because it "marks a significant time for Chicagoans to reflect on the legacy of Dr. King by honoring his message of unity through community service."

 

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